a day ago
Ludhiana: Locals await meter connections for months
Residents across the city are at their wit's end as new electricity connections and load extensions remain pending for months, despite them having deposited the required charges months ago. Consumers said that even after completing all formalities, the power department has not released their connections, causing unnecessary delay and inconvenience. Consumers say that even after completing all formalities, the power department has not released their connections. (HT Photo)
Firoza Praveen, a resident of Kundanpuri, said,' I applied for a new meter connection at Aggar Nagar division in April. Even after making a payment of a whopping ₹25,017, I am making rounds of the department to get my work done.'
Similarly, Manish Sharma, resident of New Chander Nagar said, 'In March, I have applied for a load extension from 1 kilowatt to 7 kilowatt. I have also made a payment of ₹14,180. Despite these, it has been over five months, they have not felicitated the process. Every work, I need to take a leave from my office but the delays continue.'
Gurpreet Mehdoodan, divisional president of the Punjab State Electricity Board Employees Federation, said, 'Significant delays in electricity-related tasks are persistent across Ludhiana city, with residents typically facing waits of around four months. After submitting an application, the department takes time to release a serial number due to glitches in the online portal, which further adds to the delay.'
Mehdoodan added that the surge in applications following the government's waiver of NOC requirements for small plot holders, combined with staff shortages, has further compounded the problem. 'From December to March, routine applications increased by over 60%, but the department lacked enough staff to cater to these applications request ,' he said.
At present, the department is relying on its outsourced workers to install electricity meters who are already grappled with fault repairs and maintenance duties. As a result, it gets difficult to managed these installations, he added.
Additionally, senior officials pointed to the rise in double or triple meters in single households following the state government's free 600 unit scheme as another factor contributing to delays. With the growing use of cooling appliances, many consumers are now requesting load extensions from 1 KW to 3 KW, adding to the department's workload, they added.
When contacted, chief engineer Jagdev Hans assured that efforts are underway to clear the backlog. 'We are working to process applications as quickly as possible. The delays largely stem from illegal meter scam unearthed in Aggar Nagar division, prompting JEs who look after these tasks to go on strike. Now, the process is back on track,' he said.
